This Ligurian flatbread is made from yeast dough with herbs and is brushed with olive oil before baking. It is believed that focaccia, a forerunner of pizza, originated in Roman times. There are many possible variations of this Ligurian speciality. There are almost no limits to your creativity.
Frowner's focaccia dough made from pure spelt flour with thyme, rosemary and pepperoncini
Ingredients:
- Original spelt flour
- Coarse sea salt
- Fresh or dried yeast
- Warm (not hot) water
- Olive oil
- Dried thyme
- Dried rosemary
- Dried pepperoncini
Preparation
Vigorously mix 1 kg pure original spelt flour, 2-3 level teaspoons of sea salt, three tablespoons of dried thyme, 1-2 tablespoons of dried rosemary, one tablespoon of dried pepperoncini and two bags of dry yeast or two cubes of fresh yeast (use a bit of raw sugar to transform the fresh yeast into liquid form) in a large bowl using a whisk. Mix 600 ml of warm water and eight tablespoons of olive oil and pour it over the mixture. Carefully combine the mixture by hand (use thin household gloves) and knead lightly.
Store the focaccia dough in a warm place, cover and allow it to rise to double its original size for around 1 hour.
Allow the prepared focaccia dough to cool in the fridge for 1 hour before use. If kept covered and refrigerated, it will last for at least four days.
Prepare frowner's focaccia
Take large pieces of the dough (a handful is enough for a medium-sized focaccia, pizza or small rosemary flatbread) and spread them out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Flatten them to a height of around 1.5 centimetres. Brush the pieces with generous amounts of olive oil and prick with a fork. Top with fresh or dried rosemary needles.
Wash some ripe tomatoes, dry well and cut finely. Add them to the dough and, if desired, garnish with pitted black or green olives and a few capers. Season with a bit of sea salt. Top with a few rosemary needles to taste.
Preheat the oven to 230°C and bake for around 20 minutes on the second lowest level (convection bottom heat, pizza setting).
Preparation of the Ligurian flatbread with rosemary
Spread a handful of focaccia dough out on a baking tray lined with baking paper to a height of 2.5 cm. Coat with olive oil. Generously top with fresh rosemary needles and a sprinkle of sea salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 225°C (convection oven, pizza setting) for around 10 minutes.
Prepare frowner's vegetarian pizza with focaccia dough
Ingredients:
- frowner's focaccia dough
- Olive oil
- Medium, ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- Mozzarella
- Black or green pitted olives
- Capers
- Pizza seasoning
- Rosemary needles
Preparation
Roll out a handful of focaccia dough very thinly on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Prick with a fork and brush with olive oil. Wash, dry, and finely chop the ripe, medium-sized tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and add them to the pizza.
Cut the mozzarella into small, thin pieces and place them between the tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with pizza seasoning and brush the mozzarella with olive oil. Top with a few olives, capers and rosemary needles.
Preheat the oven to 250°C, turn it back down to 230°C and bake on the second-lowest rack (convection oven or pizza setting) for around 20 minutes. This recipe goes well with rocket.
The green variation – Pizza Spinaci with frowner's focaccia dough
Sauté one finely chopped onion in olive oil and a tablespoon of whiskey and add finely chopped frozen spinach. Next, add 200 ml of water mixed with 1 level tablespoon of fat-free Morga bouillon powder, some pepperoncini and two bay leaves and simmer. Drain and allow to cool in the colander. Place on a kitchen towel and remove the bay leaves.
Spread another handful of frowner's focaccia dough out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Prick with a fork and brush with olive oil. Add 3-4 finely chopped tomato slices to the dough. Top with a few rosemary needles. Add the spinach (to a height of 1.5 cm) using a spoon and leave some space around the edges. Lay the finely cut mozzarella slices on top of the spinach, sprinkle with pizza seasoning and brush with olive oil.
Bake in an oven preheated to 250°C at 230°C (pizza setting or convection oven) on the second lowest rack for around 20 minutes.
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